A timeline showcasing some of the big art and life events of the famous York County native artist Jeff Koons.
Sean Heisey, York Daily Record

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Jeff Koons, a York County native, is surrounded by media after speaking during the media preview of "Jeff Koons: A Retrospective" at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City in 2014.(Photo: File, York Daily Record)Buy Photo

Tananbaum is suing Pennsylvania native and artist Jeff Koons and Gagosian Gallery, Inc. He says Koons has repeatedly delayed delivery of three pieces of art he ordered in 2013.

"According to (Tananbaum's) complaint filed in a New York state court in Manhattan, Tananbaum agreed to pay more than $24 million for Koons’ sculptures 'Balloon Venus,' 'Eros' and 'Diana,' and has already paid out $13.05 million," according to Reuters.

The delays and failure to deliver on promises are part of a system designed to "exploit art collectors' desire to own Jeff Koons sculptures," the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit says that Koons "wears the crown" in the contemporary art world and quotes Hamlet: "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

The suit draws comparisons to a Ponzi scheme, a fraud where false promises are used to generate new investors' money, which is then used to finance older investors.

Koons rose to worldwide prominence in 2013 when he sold a 12-foot sculpture for $58.4 million. It was the most expensive piece of art created by a living artist to be sold at auction, according to The Independent.

Also of interest, Koons installed a sculpture at Rockefeller Center in 2017:

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While introducing his 45-foot tall inflated 'Seated Ballerina' in Rockefeller Center, artist Jeff Koons honors missing and exploited children. Koons is sensitive to the cause, since his ex-wife illegally took his two-year-old son to Italy. (May 12)
AP